My Stoic reading for today was a long passage from Epictetus that wouldn't fit on facebook without editing. Basically it was discussing the value of our life/body. The things that we use to sustain our bodies are not worth as much as the body itself. Our virtues and virtuous living are more important than all of the "things" that we hold onto.
Using this principle as the starting point, what do I wish my life to look like? What does that entail? What do I need to craft that life and what can be let go? What can be given away, sold, etc. to enrich another's life as I have moved beyond the need for it? This is part of my process to craft a life of essentials and true beauty rather than a life filled with meaningless stuff. Affluenza is such a modern day disease that touches all of us in some way. The path of the Stoic, a path of Voluntary Simplicity, calls to me with an almost Siren call. What does that simplified life look like? I now have the task of crafting that vision and then taking inventory of my life, deciding what fits the vision and what doesn't. The superflous clutter of life can go freeing up space for study, family and friends. The important things that enrich my life with so much more than the minutae of "stuff".
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